Belarusian President: The Decision to Create the Union State Was the Only Right One

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko stated that the decision made by Belarus and Russia to establish the Union State was the only correct one. He made these remarks during his address to the Federation Council while on an official visit to the Russian Federation.

"Our countries have fully experienced the infamous democracy and free market. We have seen that we cannot expect friendly support from the West. Rather, at the first opportunity, they will betray us without hesitation," the head of state remarked.

"While we were trying to get back on our feet, to piece together the shattered connections, to somehow patch together a budget, and to feed our people, our Western 'partners' were not wasting any time. In 1999, another wave of NATO expansion occurred, bringing the alliance closer to our borders following the admission of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary."

Lukashenko noted that NATO's bombings of Yugoslavia ultimately convinced everyone of the true goals of the Alliance and demonstrated that the principles of peaceful coexistence and international law proclaimed by the West can no longer guarantee anything.

The internal situation did not provide reliable support either, with economic and societal crises, a chaotic redistribution of state property, and rampant corruption.

"We understood that we could only rely on ourselves. Life itself urged us toward more decisive steps for closer ties, for establishing joint guarantees of economic and military security," the Belarusian leader declared.

"Along with the first President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin—whom I greatly thank for this—and with the support of the peoples of our countries, we made the only right decision: to create the Union State. We set aside all fears about who might absorb whom, who would govern whom, and what each would ultimately gain."